Future of High Peak local plan in doubt

The future of the High Peak’s local plan has been thrown into doubt after councillors voted not to agree the vital document at a meeting last night (Tuesday).

Having agreed proposals relating to sites allocated for housing in the Buxton, Central and Glossopdale sub-areas, members then voted 19 to 18 not to accept the remaining sections of the plan.

This could mean the authority has to start at the beginning with the local plan, which it had been hoped would be adopted by next February.

Speaking after the meeting, council leader Caitlin Bisknell said: “The council now has to consider its position but it is in uncharted territory. We’re not sure where we go from here.”

During the meeting, members had agreed to remove a site on Laneside Road, New Mills, known as C14 from the local plan. However, despite strong representations from local ward councillors, a site on Macclesfield Road, Whaley Bridge, known as C9, remained in the document.

If members had agreed the submission version of the local plan, it would have then gone out for a further six weeks consultation with the public before councillors decided whether to submit it to the government.